Oral history interview with Robert N. Broadbent conducted by Connie Lyons on September 23, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During the interview Broadbent discusses education, politics, religion, entertainment, the dedication of Hoover Dam, and the various social clubs of which he is a member of. Broadbent also discusses Six Companies, housing in Boulder City, Nevada, the Las Vegas Strip, Railroad Pass, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the above ground atomic bomb testing in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John McKay conducted by Donna Malloy on March 03, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McKay talks about his experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada since the 1950s. McKay begins by speaking about his family history, his career in the electronics and engineering field for aerospace, as well as his experiences in two wars. Moreover, McKay speaks about his hobbies of hunting and fishing and his time as a musician around Las Vegas. McKay also spends time going over how the city of Las Vegas has grown and changed, the increase in crime, and the extreme floods in the 1950s. Lastly, McKay talks about the Nuclear Test Site, how casino gaming chips were used as money around the city, how the city of Las Vegas started and the future of the valley. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William W. Boyd conducted by Theresa Bradley on February 26, 1981 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. Boyd discusses his involvement in the gaming industry of Las Vegas, Nevada. Boyd talks specifically about his experiences with five-card stud poker and his introduction of poker games without dealers to the poker room. Boyd also talks about his role as poker room manager at the Golden Nugget and how he was present to open the room when the casino first opened.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mustafa Richards conducted by Claytee D. White on March 10, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. He discusses working as the only black bellman at the time for the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino and became the first African American bell captain. He also discusses his wife working for the Las Vegas, Nevada Clark County Library District for thirty years. Mustafa then discusses becoming a Muslim in the early 1990s and being appointed to be an Imam, a mosque officer, soon afterwards.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Walter V. Long conducted by Tracy Tillander on March 24, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Long discusses his experiences as a high school grammar teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Las Vegas, Nevada. Long also discusses his early life and teaching in Pioche, Nevada; Panaca, Nevada; and Tonopah, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leo Lewis conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on November 26, 1984 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Lewis discusses the creation of the College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Lewis talks about Jerome Vallen becoming the dean of the College of Hotel Administration and the overall growth of UNLV. Lewis describes his career as a casino executive and later, in 1967, as a professor of management at UNLV.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with James Cardle conducted by Dr. David Emerson on April 25, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview James Cardle speaks about how he came to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in August of 1985 and began teaching a class on wastewater treatment. He spoke about how he was a member of the curriculum committee, did research on the Yucca Mountain project, and also worked on setting up a master's program.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Norman Christiansen conducted by James Courtney on November 28, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Christiansen describes his family, and background before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956 from Montana. Christiansen then talks about working at the Nevada Test Site and about his career as a teacher. He speaks about the various changes he has noticed over the years in Las Vegas, including those in climate, pollution, economy, occupation, and standard of living.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Alberta Shearin conducted by Deanne Lahr on March 12, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Shearin discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada after her husband was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in 1943. Shearin describes Las Vegas during World War II and how it has changed, chemical plants in Henderson, Nevada and their effects on the environment, and what her and her family did for recreation. Shearin also discusses the local school system and racial integration in schools and neighborhoods, as well as natural disasters that have occurred in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Manley Sorensen conducted by Michael Kelser on March 02, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sorensen discusses the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sorensen discusses how Las Vegas has changed since 1936, including how the casinos in the city have changed and the disappearance of water springs around Las Vegas. Sorensen also discusses the El Rancho Hotel fire, prospecting for recreation, environmental changes, nuclear weapons tests, and flooding in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection